Spyre Moves Ahead with Bulimba Luxury Apartments

Queensland developer Spyre Group has taken the next step with its apartment project in a Brisbane inner-city riverside suburb.

The developer has launched Watts & Wright, which comprises 15 homes on one of Bulimba’s last remaining riverfront blocks, about 4km north-east of the CBD.

According to plans filed with the Brisbane City Council and approved in June, the site, once home to the Watts and Wright boatyard, will be transformed into a collection of full-floor and dual-level homes designed in collaboration with Cavill Architects.

The 1751sq m site at 3-9 Byron Street is next to the Apollo Road ferry terminal and the Bulimba Barracks masterplanned redevelopment. The latter was approved in May this year.

The project is a shift for Spyre as interiors will be for the first time handled in-house.

Spyre director Andrew Malouf said the move gave the developer greater control across the project.

“That creative control has allowed us to elevate every detail—in close collaboration with Cavill Architects,” Malouf said.

Spyre design director Kent Pinel said the interior program drew inspiration from the river and the industrial character of the site, incorporating natural materials and a “restrained palette” intended to reflect the location’s history.

▲ Rendering of the development proposed for what was once the site of the Watts and Wright boatyard at Bulimba.

The building had been configured to take advantage of its northern riverfront aspect, with layouts maximising natural ventilation, light penetration and indoor–outdoor connections, the developer said.

The scheme includes a mix of three and four-bedroom residences, most with multiple living areas, rooftop terraces or private courtyards, and direct lift access.

The Bulimba development continues Spyre’s focus on high-end, design-driven projects across Brisbane’s inner suburbs. The group has delivered or advanced several similar riverfront developments at locations including Kangaroo Point, Toowong and New Farm.

Bulimba remains a tightly held suburb, with few opportunities for new riverfront housing supply.